A Soul in Three Worlds

A person is never just one thing. Who you are in a boardroom is different from who you are in a back-alley brawl. Our world understands this truth at a fundamental level. Your character’s core Legacy — their history and experience measured in Chapters — is constant and travels with them, but how that Legacy is perceived, expressed, and judged changes dramatically as you move between our three unique communities.

This is how the entire progression system, from your Story HUD and Character Dashboard to your very Title, adapts and personalizes to your current environment, creating a truly dynamic roleplaying experience.

The Core of Your Being: Universal Truths

Before we explore the differences, understand what remains the same. Your Chapters are the universal currency of your life’s story; they follow you everywhere. The Narrator AI is always observing, and your soul is always accumulating the stains of its deeds and the honors of its accomplishments. The influence from a criminal act you commit in Hathian is recorded, even if you flee to the University to study philosophy. Nothing is ever forgotten.

The Three Masks: Community-Specific Identities

When you enter a new community, the world looks at your soul’s history through a new lens. Your tools, your reputation, and the very feel of the world will shift to match the local lore.

1. The Grime of the Crack Den (Hathian)

• The Vibe: The moment you enter Hathian, your interface takes on a gritty, urban-noir aesthetic. The colors on your Dashboard shift to amber and rust, and the icons reflect the city’s dangerous pulse.
• Your Title & Pathways: Here, the world judges you by a brutal, simple metric: predator or prey. Your progression is defined by the Criminal Pathway and the Victim Pathway, with titles ranging from Deviant and Felon to Innocent and Survivor. The gated First Responder Pathway offers a third, unique identity for law enforcement.
• The Local Pulse: In Hathian, the Activity Boost on your HUD measures your Heat. This is your notoriety, your criminal footprint, and the attention you’ve attracted from the city’s underbelly and its corrupt authorities. High Heat means you are a major player in the chaos.

2. The Secrets of the University (Columtreal)

• The Vibe: Crossing into the Black Bottom suburb, your interface adopts a southern gothic, academic theme. The colors shift to deep purples and scholarly ivories, with icons reflecting campus life.
• Your Title & Pathways: In the halls of Columtreal, your value is measured by your intellectual and social capital. Your journey is defined by the Faculty Pathway and the Student Pathway, with titles like Scribe, Professor, Freshman, and Alumni.
• The Local Pulse: At the University, the world tracks your Spirit. This boost is fueled by your academic and social engagement. Attending classes, teaching lectures, and navigating the campus’s web of secrets will all raise your Spirit, marking you as a person of influence.

3. The Mists of the Backwaters

• The Vibe: As the swamps of the Backwaters close in, your interface becomes suffused with a rustic, swamp-noir aesthetic. The colors change to murky greens and earthy browns, and the icons take on a primal, almost occult feel.
• Your Title & Pathways: The bayou understands two kinds of people: those who thrive in its shadows, and those who are consumed by them. Your story is told through the Lurker Pathway and the Lost Pathway, earning you titles like Stalker, Warlock, Snared, and Cursed. The gated Deputies Pathway is reserved for those who enforce the Syndicate’s will.
• The Local Pulse: In the Backwaters, your Activity Boost measures your Thrill. This rises with your engagement in primal acts of survival, violence, and illicit trade. High Thrill means you are in sync with the bayou’s deadly, secretive rhythm.

Crossing the Border: The Seamless Translation

When you drive out of Hathian and step onto the University campus, the system doesn’t forget your past; it simply re-evaluates it through a different cultural lens. Your HUD and Dashboard will instantly update to the new theme. Your grim title of ‘Felon’ may be replaced by the more academic ‘Freshman,’ based on your underlying history of actions. That ‘Felon’ title is not lost — it is merely dormant, waiting for you to return to the streets where that reputation still holds weight. The system intelligently displays your most relevant identity for your current location, while keeping all your progress intact.

Your character is a complex individual, not a static hero. We’ve built a world that recognizes and celebrates that complexity. Explore it all.